Famous POW tells flock of forgiveness

FULLERTON – Churchgoers are used to tales of tested faith, perseverance, forgiveness, and redemption.

Most often, however, those stories come from the pages of a book, rather than someone standing right in front of them.

Louis Zamperini spent his Saturday and Sunday telling his story to the flock at Eastside Christian Church, as part of the church's "Let Go," personal renewal push over the New Year.

After participating in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and meeting Hitler, Zamperini, a Torrance native, dropped out of USC to join the Army Air Corps. He fought in the Pacific in World War II, where, in 1943, his plane crashed during an ill-fated rescue mission.

Nearly 50 days later, down to 80 pounds, Zamperini's raft floated to an island where he was quickly taken prisoner by the Japanese.

He was put in a filthy cell, he said, while his captors smoked cigarettes and ate pastries.

"The next 45 days were the most hellish of my life," Zamperini said.

He survived nearly daily beatings and other maltreatment, but had nightmares and drank heavily when he returned home. He attended a 1949 Billy Graham revival, where, he said, he finally thanked God for his survival and learned to forgive his Japanese jailers.

He even travelled to Japan in the 1950s, seeking out Sgt. Mutsuhiro Watanabe, his worst tormentor during that time.

"I wanted to look him in the eyes," Zamperini said.

However he could not find Watanabe, who was hiding out, waiting for amnesty for his war crimes. Nevertheless, he forgave him, and the others.

Zamperini, who now lives in the Hollywood hills, attended Saturday's services, but felt too ill to speak Sunday. Instead, the church showed a video of Zamperini's talk from the previous night.

"It was a powerful message," church volunteer Chris Russell of Diamond Bar said after the service. "Hopefully, that story will get other people to let go of their bitterness and their fear."

Gene Appel, the church's senior pastor, said he wanted his congregation to learn from Zamperini's lesson: "We want to help people let go of bitterness."